TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a 17-ton trove of silver coins recovered from a Spanish galleon sunk by British warships in 1804 is being put aboard two planes and will be flown sometime Friday from the U.S. to Spain.
Spain’s ambassador to the U.S. is expected to be on hand when two Spanish military cargo planes laden with the 594,000 silver coins and other artifacts prepare for departure from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.
Spain recently won a long court battle with Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration, which found the wreck off Portugal and raised the treasure in 2007.
On Thursday, the Peruvian government filed a last, long-shot appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming ownership because the coins were minted in Peru. There was no immediate court response.
